2007 Mazda Mazda6 - Mazda 6: A Good City Car

John

Seattle, Washington

Overall

3.0

Value

5.0

Performance

3.0

Style

4.0

Comfort

4.0

Fuel Economy

4.0

Reliability

3.0

2007 Mazda Mazda6 - Mazda 6: A Good City Car

The Mazda 6 is a good city car, especially made for commuting to and from work in high traffic situations. The car gets good mileage on the highway, in the neighborhood of 25 miles to the gallon, and rarely is in need of heavy maintenance, even at 140,000 miles. It is this reliability that makes me appreciate the car, although I have grown to appreciate it's long road-trip worthiness as well.
I have taken the car on many 800+ mile trips, sometimes 4 or 5 a year, and it takes the punishment well. In general, all I've had to worry about is keeping gas in it, along with the typical 3,000 mile oil changes and other recommended servicing.

The Mazda 6 is a good city car, especially made for commuting to and from work in high traffic situations. The car gets good mileage on the highway, in the neighborhood of 25 miles to the gallon, and rarely is in need of heavy maintenance, even at 140,000 miles. It is this reliability that makes me appreciate the car, although I have grown to appreciate it's long road-trip worthiness as well.
I have taken the car on many 800+ mile trips, sometimes 4 or 5 a year, and it takes the punishment well. In general, all I've had to worry about is keeping gas in it, along with the typical 3,000 mile oil changes and other recommended servicing.

Story

All criticism aside, I have a lot of fun memories of loading my kids up with all our camping gear, and taking off to the national parks in our area (or further). While I don't have a lot of memories that center around the vehicle itself, having the Mazda 6 as the car on the trip did add to the sense of reliability and security we had, as we knew it would be dependable. One time though, we di... (more)

All criticism aside, I have a lot of fun memories of loading my kids up with all our camping gear, and taking off to the national parks in our area (or further). While I don't have a lot of memories that center around the vehicle itself, having the Mazda 6 as the car on the trip did add to the sense of reliability and security we had, as we knew it would be dependable. One time though, we did camp out (near the Grand Tetons), and it started to rain, hail and thunder. We ended up sleeping in the car that night (kids in back, me in front). While not ideal, it worked out.

Pros

I appreciate the most that this vehicle is quite economical. Given it will get in excess of 25 miles a gallon, and better on longer road trips, approaching 30 mpg, I like how I can fuel up and make it from Seattle to Boise, or Salt Lake City to Boise without having to stop for gas. The ride is comfortable and smooth, with ample space for a family of 4 and lots of luggage or ski gear.
The interior comfort (heat, AC, standard 6 CD changer) make things nice as well.

I appreciate the most that this vehicle is quite economical. Given it will get in excess of 25 miles a gallon, and better on longer road trips, approaching 30 mpg, I like how I can fuel up and make it from Seattle to Boise, or Salt Lake City to Boise without having to stop for gas. The ride is comfortable and smooth, with ample space for a family of 4 and lots of luggage or ski gear.
The interior comfort (heat, AC, standard 6 CD changer) make things nice as well.

Cons

I have 2 concerns that make me rate this vehicle lower than I'd ideally like to. The first is the car's inability to handle inclement weather, such as snow. (The fact that the dealership wasn't that forthright with me initially about that is also a deterrent.) The car does not have enough clearance room to handle chains, so driving it during the winter is a problem. Given that I regularly want to use the car for skiing, or on ski trips only magnifies the problem. I can use it, but only when the state department of transportation is on top of keeping the mountain passes clear.
The sec... (more)

I have 2 concerns that make me rate this vehicle lower than I'd ideally like to. The first is the car's inability to handle inclement weather, such as snow. (The fact that the dealership wasn't that forthright with me initially about that is also a deterrent.) The car does not have enough clearance room to handle chains, so driving it during the winter is a problem. Given that I regularly want to use the car for skiing, or on ski trips only magnifies the problem. I can use it, but only when the state department of transportation is on top of keeping the mountain passes clear.
The second issue is a design flaw, in my opinion. On other vehicles I own, changing a burned out light is relatively easy. I can do this on my wife's Ford Windstar in a matter of minutes. On the 6, the front headlights can't be changed without some serious work. As a matter of fact, the owner's manual tells you to bring it in to be done. This is because it needs to be jacked up and done from underneath somehow. Very inconvenient.

2003 Mazda Mazda6 -

Jessica

Redmond, Washington

Overall

4.0

Value

4.0

Performance

4.0

Style

5.0

Comfort

5.0

Fuel Economy

4.0

Reliability

4.0

2003 Mazda Mazda6 -

Solid and reliable vehicle. It looks good and performs well, both on smooth highways and more curvy mountain roads, making it enjoyable to drive. Although lower than a vehicle with a smaller engine, gas mileage is quite good, averaging in the high 20s mpg. Interior is spacious enough, although previous owner may have cleaned the cloth seats improperly, causing it to pick up dyes and stains more easily than my last car.

Solid and reliable vehicle. It looks good and performs well, both on smooth highways and more curvy mountain roads, making it enjoyable to drive. Although lower than a vehicle with a smaller engine, gas mileage is quite good, averaging in the high 20s mpg. Interior is spacious enough, although previous owner may have cleaned the cloth seats improperly, causing it to pick up dyes and stains more easily than my last car.

Story

I've taken this car on a long road trip, through snow, fog, coastlines and mountains and spent time chilling on the beach with the moonroof open.

I've taken this car on a long road trip, through snow, fog, coastlines and mountains and spent time chilling on the beach with the moonroof open.

2013 Mazda Mazda6 - University Mazda Seattle

2013 Mazda Mazda6 - University Mazda Seattle

Their website listed the actual prices of the cars and their salesman was top notch and no pressure.

Their website listed the actual prices of the cars and their salesman was top notch and no pressure.

2014 Mazda CX-5 - Walkers Renton Mazda

KO

Renton, Washington

Overall

5.0

Facility

4.0

Process

4.0

Quality

5.0

Service

5.0

2014 Mazda CX-5 - Walkers Renton Mazda

They tried everything they can for us to get incentives. I owned a Mazda 2 in another country and they gave me a loyalty incentive after long talks with main office. I also liked that they took us to test drive with the actual car they were going to sell us, rather than talking about it first and then trying to close a deal. They were also not pushy about extra packages or anything and took care of all the financing issues with our bank (FirstTech) , without any hassle.

They tried everything they can for us to get incentives. I owned a Mazda 2 in another country and they gave me a loyalty incentive after long talks with main office. I also liked that they took us to test drive with the actual car they were going to sell us, rather than talking about it first and then trying to close a deal. They were also not pushy about extra packages or anything and took care of all the financing issues with our bank (FirstTech) , without any hassle.